Chapter 067
Chapter 67: Accompanying Lake Residence
With that, Wang Jie boldly stepped forward.
He had realized that the news of his death had indeed spread throughout the Silver Radiance Empire. If the empire truly wanted to silence him, there would have been no need for such a grandiose search.
The moment the spaceship took off, Wang Jie fully understood just how unreliable the contraption created by the Four-Eyes was.
He hadn’t paid much attention when escaping from the mining planet, mainly because the ship there had insufficient power. But this ship was different. The ascent was smooth, and once it broke through the atmosphere, it accelerated rapidly, so fast that the stars outside blurred into lines. Yet, inside the ship, everything remained perfectly stable.
This was the gap in technology.
And now, his destination was none other than the Silver Radiance Imperial Capital.
In just two days, the spaceship arrived.
During the journey, Wang Jie continued to gather more knowledge about the outside world. This time, his inquiries were directed toward the people aboard the ship. There were many of them, and they were all very friendly, answering every question he asked. Wang Jie absorbed everything like a sponge.
By the time he reached the Silver Radiance Imperial Capital, he was no longer entirely unfamiliar with the Silver Radiance Empire.
There, he met Jun Hua and the woman who had been disguised as Jun Hua during the assassination attempt. Her name was Yu Dong, a Full Star Realm cultivator.
Above the Ten Seals realm was the Star Breaking Realm, and above that was Full Star. Among all the people Wang Jie had met, only the Old General had reached the Full Star Realm—Yu Dong was the second.
As for Shu Mu Night, Wang Jie wasn’t sure what level he had reached before his re-cultivation, but he suspected it was likely above Full Star.
Wang Jie studied Jun Hua and her companions closely, and Jun Hua did the same to him.
“Thank you for taking care of that trouble for me. Without you, there would have been no way to solve it,” Jun Hua said first, her voice soft, with a hint of coldness.
Wang Jie replied, “It was nothing.”
Yu Dong shot him a glance.
Jun Hua gave a faint smile, her gaze amused yet piercing. “If it was nothing, why run away?”
Wang Jie remained calm, “I took a wrong turn.”
Yu Dong rolled her eyes, stunned by how seriously he could lie.
Jun Hua smiled again, not pressing the matter. “I don’t want to owe anyone. So now, I’m giving you two options.”
“One, become my personal guard. The treatment is good.”
“Two, I recommend you join the Frost Radiance Sect, though you would have to participate in the trials.”
“You may choose one.”
Wang Jie was surprised. “Frost Radiance Sect? The strongest sect in the Eighth Star Chain?”
Jun Hua nodded. “I’m an inner disciple of the Frost Radiance Sect, and I have the authority to recommend people to join. You’d still have to go through the proper procedures, but your strength is more than enough. However…” She exchanged a glance with Yu Dong. “I don’t want to deceive you.”
“The sect cultivates Frost Radiance Star Force. Most of its territories and martial techniques are designed around that force, so it’s not very suitable for Lock Force cultivators. If you cultivate Lock Force, you can only join the outer court, and you won’t be considered a true disciple.”
Wang Jie was confused. “Then why bother with the trials?”
Yu Dong explained, “Even the outer court is divided into levels. Let me put it this way: with 50 million outer disciples in the Frost Radiance Sect, where do you think you’d stand?”
Wang Jie was shocked. “Fifty million?”
Yu Dong gave him a look of disdain, as if she were looking at an unworldly fool.
Wang Jie truly didn’t expect such a number. Fifty million Lock Force cultivators was more than the total population of many peaceful nations on Blue Star. And that was just the outer court.
Jun Hua spoke again. “You don’t need to know too much about the Frost Radiance Sect for now. I’ll explain everything before we go. But now, you can tell me your choice.”
Without hesitation, Wang Jie answered, “I’ll be your guard.”
Yu Dong was surprised and looked at Jun Hua.
Jun Hua, however, was not at all surprised. It seemed like Wang Jie’s choice was entirely expected. “Good. Come here.”
“Greetings, Lord Emperor.”
“Take him to rest. By the way, what’s your name?”
“Wang Jie.”
As Wang Jie left, Yu Dong asked curiously, “How did you know he’d choose the first option?”
Jun Hua smiled lightly, her gaze thoughtful. “Based on his behavior, there are two possibilities. One, he’s just entering the universe and knows nothing, which fits with the way he’s been asking basic questions. Though, it might also be intentional. The second possibility…” She turned her gaze to the distance, her footstep graceful, and the space around her seemed to shift with frozen fragments. Yu Dong followed closely behind.
In just a single step, they had moved far from their original position and now stood before a crude, eggshell-shaped object—the very spaceship belonging to Wang Jie.
Jun Hua placed her hand on the ship, gently applying pressure.
The layers of boundary stones on the ship began to peel away, revealing a symbol underneath.
Yu Dong looked at the symbol. Although it was unclear, she could make out a few faint details. Her pupils shrank. “Armor One Sect?”
Jun Hua’s expression grew serious as she grasped the boundary stones. “This material is usually used by large forces for short-term space travel. It’s convenient—just coat it on. But when have you ever seen so much?”
Yu Dong placed her hand on the spaceship, sensing the abundance of boundary stones. “It’s all boundary stones. Too extravagant.”
“If he’s just entering the universe, that might explain this, but it doesn’t explain the connection between this ship and the Armor One Sect.” Jun Hua gazed into the distance, her tone firm. “Or perhaps… he’s from Armor One Sect.”
Yu Dong was perplexed. “If he’s from Armor One Sect, why hide it? In the Third Nebula, Armor One Sect disciples are fearless. And don’t they all cultivate Star Force?”
Jun Hua shook her head. “I’m not sure. Something major has happened in the outside world recently—the Armor One Sect has initiated a limitless trial. We’re too far out here to know the details. News from Star Dome Visage has been blocked by the sect, so nothing has reached us.”
“But just hearing this much shows that something big is coming.”
“If he’s just a newcomer to the universe, then it’s fine. At most, we’ll form a good relationship. But if he’s truly linked to the Armor One Sect… that’s a different matter.”
“No matter what, I don’t want to ask any more questions. I just want to protect my father’s country.”
Yu Dong sighed. “Don’t worry. I’ll help you.”
The Silver Radiance Imperial Capital was far larger than Blue Star. Wang Jie had visited many planets, and Blue Star seemed so small in comparison.
As he traversed the imperial capital, he witnessed a level of prosperity far beyond what he’d seen on Blue Star during its peaceful days.
Wang Jie was assigned to a private island within a lake, not far from the Silver Radiance Imperial Palace. The island was surrounded by picturesque waters, and he was the only one living there. The lake was completely sealed off.
“Subordinate Cheng Qian leads three thousand subordinates to greet the Lord.”
Wang Jie looked ahead, where three thousand people were bowing in unison. He felt a bit uncomfortable. “Who are you?”
Cheng Qian, a small, polite old man, smiled at Wang Jie. “We serve the Lord at the Accompanying Lake residence. We have a thousand guards, three hundred maids, seven hundred servants, two hundred chefs, and many more.”
Wang Jie surveyed the surroundings. The island was quite large, spanning more than ten kilometers. The lake circled the island, making the area seem dozens of times larger.
This was no suburban area or some far-off planet. This was the Silver Radiance Imperial Capital, right next to the Imperial Palace. One could easily imagine how precious this land was.
To have such a residence here was beyond the reach of ordinary people.
He then glanced at the guards, all cultivators. Though none were too powerful, with the highest cultivation at eight imprints, they were still quite impressive.
Under Cheng Qian’s lead, Wang Jie arrived at his first home outside Blue Star.
From the outside, the house had an ancient style, but inside it was filled with technological advancements. There was even a gravity chamber for cultivation.
Jun Hua had treated him too well, which Wang Jie found strange. Even if he had killed Jun Tang, it wouldn’t explain why Jun Hua would care so much.
“Lord, next I will introduce your privileges,” Cheng Qian announced.
Wang Jie looked at him. “Privileges?”
“Yes, the privileges of Accompanying Lake residence. Anyone living here automatically receives these privileges.”
“First, the custom spaceship. Please choose the style and functions you prefer.”
Wang Jie glanced at the screen that Cheng Qian opened, filled with spaceship models. They were detailed, but he couldn’t understand most of it.
Cheng Qian noticed and was about to explain when Wang Jie simply said, “Give me the most expensive one.”
Cheng Qian smiled calmly. “Certainly.”
“Next is the imperial private navigation route.” Cheng Qian opened a star map of the Silver Radiance Empire. “Please choose your preferred travel regions. This private route is exclusive to your spaceship.”
Wang Jie looked at the densely packed star map. “I’ll think about it later.”
“Understood. Next is the military deployment rights.”
Wang Jie was taken aback. “I can deploy the military?”
Cheng Qian respectfully explained, “Anyone residing in the Accompanying Lake residence has this right. You can deploy up to one hundred space battleships, including two captains, guards…”
Wang Jie exhaled, his head starting to ache. “Alright, we’ll discuss it when needed.”
“Understood. Now, for the maids, please take a look.” Cheng Qian projected images of beautiful maids dressed in various outfits. “You may choose as you wish. They now belong to you.”
Wang Jie gave him a look. This was a bit too much—who could resist temptation?
“Don’t mention this again.”
“Understood. Next…” Cheng Qian continued, but Wang Jie tuned him out.
Among all the privileges, there were three things that truly surprised Wang Jie.
First, he had two Slaughter Stone Planets. These were planets that had been seeded with Slaughter Stones years ago, and now they had evolved due to Lock Force. He could harvest mutated creatures from these planets to obtain Cataclysm Materials for imprint cultivation.
Second, the Silver Radiance Empire granted him access to the complete star map, including the location of Blue Star.
Third, a storage ring.
On Blue Star, he had envied Wen Zhao’s storage ring. Now, there was one for him at Accompanying Lake residence, belonging to its master—Wang Jie himself.
He activated the storage ring with a drop of blood. Inside, there were five hundred million Silver Radiance coins, along with various Cataclysm Materials, healing potions, and everyday items.
Wang Jie couldn’t understand why Jun Hua treated him so well—her kindness was almost suspicious.
Using the star map, he pinpointed the location of the two Slaughter Stone Planets. They were a bit far from here, but manageable.
Wang Jie quickly connected the private route to the Slaughter Stone Planets to make the journey faster.
His custom spaceship was also on its way.
As for the ship manufacturers, expensive, simple, and customizable were the key points.
Wang Jie didn’t know much about spaceship functions and wasn’t skilled at customization, so he just went with the expensive option.
In addition, he now had full access to the Royal Library, including the most advanced cultivation manuals.